Olympic committee counsels fighting NFA bosses
The arbitrary nature in which decisions linked to disciplinary action are taken is one of the major reasons why the NFA leadership continues to be at loggerheads at the expense of football in the country, NNOC president Abner Xoagub has said.
14 September 2021 | Sports
JESSE JACKSON KAURAISA
WINDHOEK
Namibia National Olympics NNOC Committee president Abner Xoagub has advised the NFA leadership to respect the association’s set governance frameworks when it comes to disciplinary matters.
Xoagub, during a telephonic interview with this publication yesterday, called on the NFA leadership to smoke the peace pipe, adding that the disregard of organisational processes has caused a “major crisis” in the country’s football structures.
Tasked as the football representative to the NFA from the Namibia National Olympics Committee (NNOC), Xoagub poked holes in the disciplinary processes of the NFA, saying they are full of loopholes.
“Sometimes when suspending or expelling someone, you have to make sure that the due processes are followed. Imagine charging someone without making provisions for any disciplinary committee to actually find the charges and take the decision to suspend someone,” Xoagub said.
The NNOC president added that he is not taking sides in the recent spate of suspensions involving NFA president Ranga Haikali and secretary general Franco Cosmos.
He pleaded with football bosses to refrain from “taking hasty decisions in order to remove other out because of personal grudges”.
In the dark
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) continues to play the waiting game, especially for Fifa to pronounce itself on the latest infighting which saw NFA president Ranga Haikali being suspended.
Haikali’s suspension confirmed the divisions among the association’s executive, which is split into half.
Both camps wrote complaint letters to FIFA in which they levelled an avalanche of allegations linked to fraud and mismanagement against each other.
Xoagub said he was unaware that the parties have written to FIFA.
“To be honest with you, I am just hearing this from you that both parties have written to FIFA. All I can say is that I hope that Namibian football administrators realise that we can’t always have to take the hard route or do things the difficult way. They can actually do things correctly internally and there will be no need to always have FIFA involved,” Xoagub added.
Contradictions
Senior members of the two camps have made contradictory statements about FIFA’s response.
The Cosmos-led camp claims FIFA suggested that the association refrain from holding meetings and sending out press releases until they [FIFA] pronounce themselves.
“We were advised not to hold meetings or send out press releases until FIFA pronounces itself.
“The only thing I can tell you now is that FIFA asked us to write our letters and we continue to wait on what they have decided on,” a source in one of the factions said.
The Haikali-led faction, on the other hand, rubbished the claim made by their rivals regarding the alleged moratorium on meetings.
“FIFA never told us not to continue what we were doing because that would bring things to a standstill,” a source from the rival faction said.
This newspaper has been informed that the faction that suspended Haikali was tasked to provide documentation confirming that the meeting which suspended the president met the quorum.
“We actually wrote the letter and provided the documentation that proved the meeting was indeed valid,” a source said.
Background
In August, a meeting consisting of Isack Fredericks (//Karas), Netty Cloete (//Karas), Peter Ndjulu (Khomas), Iggy Hainghumbi (Ohangwena), Shali Amakali (Oshikoto) and Robert Shimooshili (Namibia Premier Football League representative) resolved to suspend the NFA president.
Earnest Joy (Kavango West), Kenneth Goaseb (Southern Stream First Division chairman), Tino Haingura (Kavango East) Ferdinand Hausiku (Kavango West) and Ranga Haikali did not attend the meeting, claiming that it had no constitutional right to suspend Haikali and that Robert Shimooshili was not a member in good standing.
WINDHOEK
Namibia National Olympics NNOC Committee president Abner Xoagub has advised the NFA leadership to respect the association’s set governance frameworks when it comes to disciplinary matters.
Xoagub, during a telephonic interview with this publication yesterday, called on the NFA leadership to smoke the peace pipe, adding that the disregard of organisational processes has caused a “major crisis” in the country’s football structures.
Tasked as the football representative to the NFA from the Namibia National Olympics Committee (NNOC), Xoagub poked holes in the disciplinary processes of the NFA, saying they are full of loopholes.
“Sometimes when suspending or expelling someone, you have to make sure that the due processes are followed. Imagine charging someone without making provisions for any disciplinary committee to actually find the charges and take the decision to suspend someone,” Xoagub said.
The NNOC president added that he is not taking sides in the recent spate of suspensions involving NFA president Ranga Haikali and secretary general Franco Cosmos.
He pleaded with football bosses to refrain from “taking hasty decisions in order to remove other out because of personal grudges”.
In the dark
The Namibia Football Association (NFA) continues to play the waiting game, especially for Fifa to pronounce itself on the latest infighting which saw NFA president Ranga Haikali being suspended.
Haikali’s suspension confirmed the divisions among the association’s executive, which is split into half.
Both camps wrote complaint letters to FIFA in which they levelled an avalanche of allegations linked to fraud and mismanagement against each other.
Xoagub said he was unaware that the parties have written to FIFA.
“To be honest with you, I am just hearing this from you that both parties have written to FIFA. All I can say is that I hope that Namibian football administrators realise that we can’t always have to take the hard route or do things the difficult way. They can actually do things correctly internally and there will be no need to always have FIFA involved,” Xoagub added.
Contradictions
Senior members of the two camps have made contradictory statements about FIFA’s response.
The Cosmos-led camp claims FIFA suggested that the association refrain from holding meetings and sending out press releases until they [FIFA] pronounce themselves.
“We were advised not to hold meetings or send out press releases until FIFA pronounces itself.
“The only thing I can tell you now is that FIFA asked us to write our letters and we continue to wait on what they have decided on,” a source in one of the factions said.
The Haikali-led faction, on the other hand, rubbished the claim made by their rivals regarding the alleged moratorium on meetings.
“FIFA never told us not to continue what we were doing because that would bring things to a standstill,” a source from the rival faction said.
This newspaper has been informed that the faction that suspended Haikali was tasked to provide documentation confirming that the meeting which suspended the president met the quorum.
“We actually wrote the letter and provided the documentation that proved the meeting was indeed valid,” a source said.
Background
In August, a meeting consisting of Isack Fredericks (//Karas), Netty Cloete (//Karas), Peter Ndjulu (Khomas), Iggy Hainghumbi (Ohangwena), Shali Amakali (Oshikoto) and Robert Shimooshili (Namibia Premier Football League representative) resolved to suspend the NFA president.
Earnest Joy (Kavango West), Kenneth Goaseb (Southern Stream First Division chairman), Tino Haingura (Kavango East) Ferdinand Hausiku (Kavango West) and Ranga Haikali did not attend the meeting, claiming that it had no constitutional right to suspend Haikali and that Robert Shimooshili was not a member in good standing.
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